Starting a retail business comes with a lot of opportunity—but also a lot of risk. One of those risks is shoplifting, or the act of stealing goods from a retail store without paying for them. It typically involves a person taking items from a store without the store’s knowledge or consent.
Shoplifting is considered a criminal offense in many jurisdictions and is subject to legal consequences. Shoplifting can take various forms, ranging from concealing items in bags or clothing to manipulating price tags or switching labels to pay a lower price at the checkout.
Check out 33 statistics on shoplifting to help get a pulse on the industry.
Key Shoplifting & Retail Loss Stats
1. There were 16% more shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to 2019
Shoplifting is on the rise. In the first half of 2023, there were 8,453 reported shoplifting incidents in a studied area. This is 16% higher than the number of reported incidents in the same area in the first half of 2019. However, if you exclude New York from the studied area, the number of reported incidents was actually 7% lower in the first of 2023 compared to the same period in 2019.
2. Shoplifting incidents often involve one or two people
Retailers report that most shoplifting incidents involve an individual or groups of less than three people. This is true for both opportunistic shoplifting and those committing shoplifting under an organized retail crime (ORC) network.
3. The average shrink rate in 2022 increased to 1.6%
Shrinkage is the difference between a product’s recorded stock count and the amount physically on hand. The difference between these two amounts is referred to as “shrink.” The average shrink rate in 2022 was 1.6%, up from 1.4% the year prior. 2022 is more in line with shrink rates from 2020 and 2019.
4. Shrink represents $112.1 billion in losses
When taken as a percentage of total retail sales in 2022, shrink creates $112.1 billion in losses. This is an increase from $93.9 billion the year prior.
5. Theft accounts for 65% of shrink
So what causes shrink? Lots of things, both internally and externally. However, theft is the largest contributor, accounting for as much as 65% of total retail shrink. This number is as high as 70% in some industries.
6. ORC accounts for 36% of shrink losses
As a subset of theft, ORC is responsible for 36% of total retail shrink. Other causes include internal theft (29%); process, control failures, and errors (27%); unknown (6%); and other (1%).
7. Many retailers had external losses of more than 40% of their overall shrink percentage
Shrink has many root causes. Many retailers contribute external sources to be the cause of at least 40% of their total shrink. However, this doesn’t necessarily tell the full story. As many as 78% of retailers don’t include ecommerce goods loss, and 57% exclude supply chain loss or theft. So total loss associated with shrink is likely higher.
8. 483,840 men were arrested for property crime in 2021
Who’s doing the shoplifting? As far as shoplifting statistics demographics go, it’s fairly split by gender. Both men and women commit theft crimes in the US. However, men get arrested more frequently. In 2021, 483,840 men were arrested for property crimes, compared to 217,017 women. Many studies and researchers conclude that men don’t necessarily steal more than women, but they’re simply prosecuted more.
9. 41% of retailers have experienced an increase in juvenile shoplifting
Young shoplifters are also increasingly brazen. More than a third of retailers have experienced increased juvenile shoplifting frequency and financial loss. Another 41% of retailers report that juvenile shoplifters are also becoming more violent.
10. 70% of retailers have experienced an increase in theft from repeat offenders
Many shoplifters keep coming back. Rather than targeting a shop and moving on to a new victim, 70% of retailers say they’re experiencing an increase in theft from repeat offenders. As a result, 61% are suffering from greater financial loss from repeat shoplifters, and 53% have also experienced more violence from these offenders.
11. 88% of retailers find shoplifters to be more aggressive and violent
Violence and aggression have increased when you look at shoplifting statistics by year. Retailers say thieves are becoming more violent and aggressive than they were a year ago—this is the case for nearly nine in 10 retail businesses. Retailers that track violent shoplifting incidents say shoplifting events involving violence increased by 35%. This is also the case when it comes to ORC—in 2022, 81% of retailers said ORC offenders had become more violent, compared to 67% who shared this sentiment in 2023. In regards to how much more violent, 88% of retailers say thieves are “somewhat more or much more” violent in 2023 compared to 2022. Another 49% said shoplifters overall are “much more” violent and aggressive.
12. Shoplifting incidents categorized as felonies have nearly doubled
Some shoplifting incidents are categorized as felonies. This number has risen since early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started. In the first half of 2023, shoplifting felonies nearly doubled to almost 16% from about 8% before the pandemic. (State statutes set felony theft dollar thresholds.)
13. Shoplifting incidents involving other crime(s) increased 9%
These incidents are becoming increasingly severe for retailers to deal with. The number of reported shoplifting incidents that involved an assault or other crime rose 9% from 2019 to 2021. However, this still makes up a small amount (less than 2%) of overall shoplifting incidents. Store assaults were 7% lower in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period the year prior, but 8% higher than the same period in 2019.
14. 22% of small business owners have had employees steal from them
According to one survey, 22% of small businesses say that employees have stolen from them. Money, time, and electronics are some of the most stolen items.
15. 88% of employee theft incidents include attempts to hide the fraud
Nearly nine in 10 employee theft cases involve some sort of attempt at covering up the crime. Since employees are more likely to commit theft when they believe they can get away with it, securing your documents and having a separation of duties can go a long way in theft detection and theft deterrence.
16. 42% of employee theft incidents are uncovered thanks to inside tips
As much as 42% of employee theft is revealed by whistleblowers. Employees are more likely to detect theft by fellow co-workers than any other company stakeholder. Consider creating a system for employee tip reporting via email, web, or phone to facilitate this.
What’s Being Stolen
17. The median value of goods stolen is $100
When it comes to the value of goods stolen, the median value sat around $100 in 2021. This was up from $75 in 2019. When you exclude the top 10% of incidents in terms of value, the median in 2021 was $756 or less, $184 more than in 2019.
18. Theft of items under $1,000 increased by 53%
Theft is on the rise, especially for “smaller” ticket items. In fact, theft of items valued at less than $1,000 increased 53% since 2019 at major commercial locations by the end of 2022.
19. There are 7 core categories of top-targeted ORC items
ORC groups target seven core categories of products:
- Accessories: Backpacks, handbags, hats, jewelry, sunglasses, etc.
- Clothing: Athletic clothes, denim, graphic tees, lingerie, underwear, outerwear, suit jackets, workwear, etc.
- Electronics: Mobile devices, tablets, audio, batteries, phone accessories, connected technologies, gaming consoles, games, office printers, printer ink, printer toner, etc.
- Food and beverage: Alcohol, candy, gum, energy drinks, frozen seafood, fresh seafood, fresh meat, etc.
- Footwear: Branded athletic shoes, designer footwear, high-end Western boots, work boots, etc.
- Health, beauty, and personal care: Body cream, body wash, cosmetics, deodorant, fragrance, grooming products, oral care, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, respiratory care products, shav products, shower gel, vitamins, supplements, etc.
- Home furnishings and home improvement: Bedding, candles, drop-front shoe boxes, fragrance, home electronics, household chemicals, household paper, small electric appliances, mechanical tools, electrical wire, flooring, hardware, plumbing, tools, inflatable mattresses, kitchen accessories, laundry detergent, vacuums, swimming pools, etc.
20. Apparel shrink rates are 1.9%
Shrink rates vary by industry and product type. For example, those listed above are likely to have higher shrink rates. Specialty apparel shrink rates are 1.9%, while pharmacy, grocery, department stores, and mass merchandise have average shrink rates of over 2%. Jewelry, watches, home furnishings and furniture, and footwear average at 1.5% or less.
21. Ecommerce fraud increased for 52% of retailers
Even more proof of underreported shrink: 52% of retailers have actually experienced an increase in ecommerce fraud in the past year. It’s increasingly important to include these numbers for your retail store, especially as omnichannel lines of businesslike click and collect become more commonplace.
Related: 20 Buy Online, Pick Up In-store (BOPIS) Statistics for Businesses
22. Gift card fraud increased for 57% of retailers
Other scams are on the rise, too. Gift card fraud specifically increased over the past year for more than half (57%) of retailers. Many of these incidents involved phone scams to lure employees or customers to purchase gift cards for fraudsters.
Shoplifting & Retail Theft by Location
23. The average percentage of sales lost to theft was 1.47%
The average percentage of sales lost to theft was 1.47% in 2021. When examining shoplifting statistics by state, Pennsylvania (2.41%), California (2.32%), and Arkansas (2.25%) experienced the highest percentage of lost sales to stolen goods. On the other hand, Wyoming (0.14%), Montana (0.43%), Alaska (0.47%), and Idaho (0.48%) had the lowest retail theft by state.
24. One-third of all NYC shoplifting arrests involved only 327 people
While New York City might be a hot spot for shoplifting, the pool of people committing these crimes isn’t as large as you might think. In fact, nearly a third of all 2022 shoplifting arrests in NYC involved just 327 people. Collectively, they were arrested and rearrested more than 6,000 times. The police department says that some of these people shoplift as a trade and others are driven by addiction or mental illness.
25. NYC shoplifting complaints have doubled in 5 years
Shoplifting is on the rise in New York. Over the past five years, shoplifting-related complaints have nearly doubled. They hit their peak at nearly 64,000 in 2022.
26. 34% of NYC shoplifting complaints end in arrests
Retailers in NYC are facing an increase in shoplifting—and they’re unfortunately unable to keep up. Of total shoplifting complaints, only about 34% resulted in arrests in 2022. In 2017, 60% of related complaints resulted in arrest.
27. 20% of NYC shoplifting incidents happened in just 18 department stores and 7 chain pharmacies
Just like the pool of perpetrators is small in New York, so is the pool of victims. As many as 20% of all shoplifting incidents happen in just 18 department stores and seven chain pharmacy locations across the city.
28. NYC, LA, and Dallas see the highest increases in shoplifting
Shoplifting is on the rise across the board, but some locations experience more growth than others. Retailers in New York City, Los Angeles, and Dallas should be on the lookout—64% of NYC retailers and 61% of LA retailers experienced the largest increases in reported shoplifting from midyear 2019 to midyear 2023. Recently, LA experienced a 109% increase from the first halves of 2022 and 2023, while Dallas had a 73% increase.
29. St. Petersburg, St. Paul, San Francisco, and Seattle see the biggest decreases in shoplifting
There’s good news too, though. Some cities are experiencing decreased rates of shoplifting. St. Petersburg decreased by 78% and St. Paul decreased by 65% over the last five years. Comparing 2022 to 2023, San Francisco decreased by 35% and Seattle by 31%.
How Retailers Respond to Shoplifting & Theft
30. More than 50% of retailers have departments with fraud oversight
Retailers are getting more proactive in store management when it comes to reducing theft, fraud, and shrink. More than half are starting loss prevention departments with direct or indirect oversight over fraud. These departments oversee in-store fraud (71%), online or mobile fraud (70%), loyalty abuse or fraud (66%), return fraud (60%), and chargeback fraud (60%).
31. Retailers had 3 top priorities in 2023 for theft
In 2023, retailers focused on three key areas when it comes to loss prevention and fighting shoplifting:
- Improving and enhancing employee training, awareness, and education programs
- Workplace violence prevention/employee safety
- Controlling ORC
32. 45% of retailers reduce operating hours to combat theft
Retailers are trying a variety of security tactics to combat shoplifting. As many as 45% have resorted to reduced operating hours in some locations. Another 30% have reduced or changed the availability of products in stores, and 28% have even closed some locations.
33. Retailers have 10 top areas of concern around ecommerce, omnichannel, and digital fraud
When it comes to the ecommerce, omnichannel or digital fraud environment, retailers’ top 10 concerns included:
- Account takeover, account security, and credential stuffing
- Delivery not received, undelivered claims, and appeasement claims
- Stolen credit/debit cards
- Chargebacks
- BOPIS fraud
- Friendly fraud
- Loyalty abuse and fraud
- Porch piracy
- System manipulation and loopholes
- Instant credit returns
Bottom Line
Shoplifting is an unfortunate reality of owning a retail business. It’s a costly threat that comes in various forms, which makes it so difficult to pin and prevent. But if you stay informed of the latest trends and technologies, you can be proactive in taking a stand against shoplifting in your small business. Using the shoplifting statistics above, you’ll be more prepared to combat the ever-evolving threat and allow your business to adapt and thrive as the industry evolves.
